6:21 PM,
Aug. 18, 2013

Marine and MTSU walk-on freshman Steven Rhodes hopes to be granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA to play this season.

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Steven Rhodes felt a duty to serve his country and had a dream to play football.

But now, to his surprise, one is hindering the other in the peculiar case of the United States Marine and 24-year-old MTSU freshman football player versus the NCAA.

"This is extremely frustrating. I think it's unfair, highly unfair," Rhodes said. "I just got out of the Marine Corps, and I wanted to play. For (the NCAA) to say, 'No, you can't play right now,' I just don't understand the logic in that." ...